LOOKING IN ON: LAS VEGAS WRANGLERS

Friday, Dec. 15, 2006 | 7:19 a.m.

What: Stockton Thunder at Las Vegas Wranglers

When: 7:05 p.m. Friday

Also: vs. Fresno Falcons at 7:05 p.m. Saturday; vs. Bakersfield Condors at 11:59 p.m. Monday

Where: Orleans Arena

Tickets: $16-$35; Online: www.lasvegaswranglers.com

The Wranglers haven't missed a beat this season, entering the weekend with an ECHL-best 33 points and a 13-2-7 record.

Last season the team accumulated 112 points, third best in the 18-year history of the league, and finished with a 53-13-6 record.

Las Vegas, which plays host to Stockton tonight and Fresno on Saturday night, just finished a grueling stretch in which it played 17 of its first 22 games away from the Orleans Arena.

The Wranglers seemed to relish the road, suffering a regulation defeat for the first time Saturday in Stockton, in the last of those 17 games - they went 11-1-5 in unfriendly confines.

So, with the hefty roster turnover, is the continued winning a testament to coach and general manager Glen Gulutzan's system?

"I don't know," Gulutzan said. "I think it's been a test ... having eight or nine (players) from last season certainly helps to get everyone back in the groove. It brings that attitude. But these young guys have surprised me with how quickly they've caught on to our system.

"They've been resilient."

At the head of that youth movement have been center Tyler Mosienko, who's 22, and right winger Aki Seitsenen, 20, who form the team's top line with left winger Marco Peluso. Mosienko leads Las Vegas with 23 points in 22 games. Seitsenen is tied for the team lead in goals, with eight, with Mosienko and Steve Crampton.

Gulutzan summed up his system:

"We try to give them freedom, offensively, to do what they want, and we demand they work hard defensively," he said. "So far, they've done that. They've bought into it. (But) it's easier to sell when you're winning, right? So it's been a good little roll here."

Bad break for Cracknell

The broken left foot suffered by Adam Cracknell on the Wranglers' recent jaunt to Idaho qualified as one of the most bizarre injuries in the game.

"Very bizarre," Gulutzan said. "I've never seen that."

Skating along the penalty-box side of the rink, Cracknell was smacked - legally - by a Steelhead, causing the door of a penalty box to open. In a cork-screwy moment, Cracknell was twisted around, parallel to the ground. His left ankle slammed against the open door.

Several pins were inserted during surgery in Las Vegas, and Cracknell, a promising 21-year-old right winger, isn't expected to return until March.

"If that gate doesn't pop open, he doesn't break his ankle," Gulutzan said. "The impact of the hit popped the gate open, and the foot happened to be there and twisted around the open gate. Long-term, though, he can score and he's physical. He has a bright future ahead of him."

No luck for O'Connor

At 6-feet-3 and 220 pounds, with an array of moves, right winger Sean O'Connor is another Wrangler with a promising future.

But a concussion sidelined him for nearly half of last season, and he hasn't been around this season because of a shoulder injury he suffered during training camp at Milwaukee of the American Hockey League.

Gulutzan said O'Connor should return to the Wranglers by March.

"It's unfortunate for him, because he got himself into fantastic condition," Gulutzan said. "He was ready to go."

Slap shots

Goalie Mike McKenna, who stopped 29 shots last Friday in a 2-1 victory at Stockton to win his eighth consecutive game, gave way to reserve Kevin Nastiuk on Saturday and then caught a flight to Milwaukee. He'll be a call away from joining the NHL's Nashville Predators, the franchise that drafted him. "Nothing against (Las Vegas), it's great here," McKenna said after getting the call from Milwaukee last week. "But I want to be at the next level. At one point last season, I was No. 3 in the Chicago system. It's scary to think about sometimes. Not scary, exciting. It's so close for me." ... Marc Magliarditi, last season's starting goalkeeper for the Wranglers, returned to Las Vegas on Monday after two games as a reserve in Omaha ... Nastiuk, who will battle "Mags," took the 6-2 defeat in Stockton. The Thunder scored four power-play goals ... The fourth midnight holiday game is scheduled for 11:59 p.m. Monday against Bakersfield.